Suns-Lakers Preview

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted May 26 2010 8:00PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Lakers' swagger is more of a stagger after consecutive losses in the Western Conference finals.

After leaving town last week to chants of ``We want Boston,'' Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol realize they won't even get the chance to defend their NBA title unless Los Angeles starts defending the Phoenix Suns.

Although Gasol says Game 5 on Thursday night is ``a must-win for us,'' the champions' California cool shows few signs of cracking, beyond Bryant's grumbling about missed defensive assignments.

After surviving a near-identical jam in last season's conference finals against Denver, the Lakers came away with a confidence they can rise to any occasion - even a best-two-of-three series against a surging, shot-making opponent with rising confidence of its own.

``There's absolutely no doubt that we love this,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Wednesday, not sounding much like a coach planning to fill out retirement papers next month. ``This is what champions are made of. If you have the best teams in the West going up against each other, it should come down to a challenge like this. ... This is what basketball at this level is. Like I told them, 'If you can't meet this challenge, then why go to the finals?'''

The Lakers have been in this situation three previous times over the past two playoffs: a series tied at 2, with Game 5 at home. Los Angeles won each time, beating Houston and the Nuggets last season before trouncing Oklahoma City last month in the first round. Overall, they've won Game 5 seven straight times at home.

Yet the Suns hold every smidgen of momentum heading back to Staples Center after winning the last two games with a gimmicky zone defense, impressive bench play and another phenomenal exhibition of offense. Los Angeles' 58 percent shooting in its first two victories masked its full series of ineffective defense so far: Los Angeles has yielded 113 points per game, and Phoenix has shaken off a brief spell of outside shooting problems.

At least the Lakers are back home, where they haven't lost in seven playoff games this spring.

``The momentum we have, the confidence we have now, is definitely going to help us going to L.A.,'' said Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, who shook off two mediocre games at Staples Center with big efforts in Phoenix. ``We definitely can win there. It's just a matter of us implementing our will.''

Will was a popular topic in El Segundo as well, with Bryant declaring that most of the Lakers' problems are mental lapses on execution and assignments. After nearly posting a triple-double in Game 4, Bryant lamented Los Angeles' inability to stick to its assignments when the Suns repeatedly ran their pick-and-roll, drive-and-dish offense.

``My message is offensively, we're going to score enough points,'' Bryant said. ``Defensively, we've got to do a much better job. That's my message. We've got to grind, do a better job staying in front of them.''

The Lakers uniformly downplayed the importance of Phoenix's zone defense, a 2-3 scheme that puts defenders on both sides of Los Angeles' post players. The Lakers' shooting decreased sharply in Phoenix, but Jackson snorted at the idea he's being outmaneuvered, noting his club still scored 107.5 points per game in Arizona.

``They challenge you in a lot of ways that we have to adjust to,'' Gasol said. ``It's mostly stuff we know about. It's about being alert all the time.''

Suns coach Alvin Gentry will have to miss his son's elementary school graduation on Thursday night after his club avoided the sweep that seemed highly possible after its first two losses in Los Angeles.

Gentry persuaded his players to stick with his simple defensive scheme in the past two games. The Suns allowed Bryant to work his usual offensive magic, but forced the Lakers' low-post scorers to work extra hard for shots - or to give up the ball to the Lakers' rather ordinary perimeter shooters, including Derek Fisher, Ron Artest and Shannon Brown.

``We want to stop everyone, but sometimes you just can't stop Kobe,'' Suns guard Steve Nash said of Bryant, who's averaging 28.9 points per game in the playoffs. ``So we can't get discouraged. He's playing as well as maybe he's ever played right now. He may continue to do that. We've proven we can win if he plays great, but we've got to be really solid. We've got to be tough. We've got to win all the little battles, because they do have some matchups and talent that we don't have.''

Jackson echoed Nash's concerns about the little things, citing a few offensive rebounds the Lakers failed to secure in the first quarter of Game 4. Those mistakes eventually snowballed into team-wide problems with execution, even after the Lakers took care of almost every detail in the first two games while extending their playoff winning streak to eight games.

``We understood that it was going to be hard,'' Gasol said. ``The first two results we obtained gave us a good feeling, but we knew the Suns were going to bounce back, and they have.''

Bryant and center Andrew Bynum didn't appear to practice with the Lakers on Wednesday, although Jackson didn't say for sure. Bynum is playing on an injured right knee that will require surgery, while Bryant simply takes advantage of every chance to rest his accumulated injuries.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Sweet redemption for Artest in Lakers' Game 5 win

By Bryan Chu, for NBA.com
Posted Friday May 28, 2010 2:30AM

LOS ANGELES (NBA.com exclusive) -- Ron Artest seemingly didn't know how to celebrate.

With his arms half raised for a second, Artest looked around shocked. Then as he turned, Artest saw Kobe Bryant and wrapped his arms around him as the two began jumping up and down in jubilation.

Following a short 3-point attempt by Bryant, Artest outmuscled Jason Richardson to the rebound and wound up banking in the putback at the buzzer as the Lakers took a thrilling 103-101 victory over the Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Thursday at Staples Center.

"Biggest layup," said Artest of whether this was the biggest shot of his career.

"I've very happy for [Ron]," said Bryant, who had 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. "But we'll leave it here and go up there and try to win one."

An otherwise forgettable stat line for Artest -- four points, five rebounds and three steals -- now has the defending champions in prime position to return to the NBA Finals as Los Angeles took a 3-2 series lead and can close out the series Saturday in Phoenix.

For the record, when winning Game 5 of a best-of-seven series, the Lakers are 42-7 all time.

Steve Nash, who had 29 points and 11 assists, drilled key basket after key basket and continued to find his teammates. At one point down the stretch, he had nine of the team's 11 points.

"I was just determined to try to win," said Nash, who helped the Suns rally with a 19-10 run before Artest's game-winning shot. "It was a crazy game."

But Bryant and Derek Fisher, who had 22 points, answered backed with timely buckets of their own.

Whittling away at the Lakers' 18-point lead, the Suns were down just 101-98 in the final minute. After Pau Gasol's missed dunk with 20.9 seconds left, Nash brought the ball up and fired a 3-pointer. Long. Richardson took his shot. Long. Then Channing Frye controlled the rebound and gave it right back to Richardson, who banked in a 27-footer to tie the game with 3.5 seconds left.

"I knew he was going to make it," Frye said.

Then Artest came to the rescue.

"Bottom line," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "We didn't box Ron out. We let him walk right in and get the rebound."

Artest did have his fair share of highs and lows in the final minute, however.

With his team up by 101-98 and a fresh shot clock, Artest fired an ill-advised 3-pointer with 22 seconds on the clock and under a minute to play. The fans shouted "NO!" Then on their next possession, the Suns wound up tying the game.

"He redeemed himself right there," Shannon Brown said.

The moment may have been especially poignant given the heroics of Trevor Ariza in last year's playoffs and the constant debate of whether signing Artest was the right move.

"I always remind him that this is why he came here," Lamar Odom said. "You know, to be in a position like he was in tonight.

"His whole career, I mean his whole life, was about perseverance, sticking with it. Tonight was a prime example of that."

After the game, the Suns tried to stomach the defeat.

"We got to swallow this one," said Amar'e Stoudemire, who had 19 points and four rebounds.

"Once it went in," Jared Dudley said, "it was deflating. It stung. It hurt.

"But by the time we got in the locker room, we huddled together and we realized we have to put this one behind us and just win Game 6."

Added Leandro Barbosa, "we can't put our head down."

To build a lead that swelled to as many as 18 in the third quarter, the Lakers had to make adjustments.

After succumbing to the Suns' zone in Phoenix, it seemed the Lakers figured it out. They penetrated inside and worked inside and out. That helped them go on a 16-5 run in the third quarter.

Gasol, who had 21, and Odom (17 points and 13 rebounds) were the beneficiaries, flashing and scoring in the paint time after time.

But once again, the Suns' bench came up big in the waning minutes of the third and at the start of the fourth. After scoring just two points in the first half, the Suns' bench dropped 31 for the game. In the third, Dudley had a four-point play and Frye had a pair of 3-pointers as the Suns closed out the quarter on a 16-4 run and trailed 78-72.

For most of the game, the Lakers' defense was on point.

The play that was a microcosm of that was in the third quarter when Bryant pounded Stoudemire's layup into the glass. And there was more of that in the second period.

"Defensively," Bryant said. "We were terrific."

Bryant had himself a big game after getting picking up two fouls in the first two minutes and 35 seconds.

In the second period, Bryant had 13 point and drained three consecutive 3-pointers. That onslaught was part of a 13-0 run, lifting the Lakers to a 41-25 lead with 6:14 left in the second period.

Fisher had a huge game as well, picking up the slack with Bryant in foul trouble. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and helped the Lakers grab a 24-21 lead at the end of the first quarter despite trailing by as many as seven points.

The Suns held the Lakers to a series-low 41.8 percent shooting, but they did shoot themselves in the foot, going 20-for-29 from the free-throw line.

After the game, Nash made it clear that his team won't have a letdown in a possible closeout game Saturday.

"They held home court," Nash said. "We'll go back and do the same. We'll come back here for Game 7."

• Suns: Griffin, Jones
• Lakers: Morrison

• Suns: Dragic, Gentry
• Lakers: Bryant, Vujacic

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #34 Marc Davis, #26 Bob Delaney
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:38

Phoenix Suns (54-29)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Bynum vs Lopez (Fisher gains possession)
	11:42	Bryant Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Hill (1 ST)
Nash Jump Shot: Missed	11:37
	11:34	Bryant Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:19	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed Block: Stoudemire (2 BLK)
	11:16	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	11:12	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed Block: Stoudemire (1 BLK)
Nash Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:10
	11:08	Bryant Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	11:00	Fisher Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Nash Free Throw 1 of 3 (2 PTS)	11:00 [PHX 1-0]
Nash Free Throw 2 of 3 Missed	11:00
Team Rebound	11:00
Nash Free Throw 3 of 3 (2 PTS)	11:00 [PHX 2-0]
Stoudemire Foul : Personal (1 PF)	10:48
	10:35	Gasol Turnover : 3 Second Violation (1 TO)
Nash 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)	10:23 [PHX 5-0]
	10:02 [LAL 2-5]	Bryant Pullup Jump shot: Made (2 PTS)
Hill Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)	09:43
	09:26	Bryant Layup Shot: Missed
Lopez Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:25
	09:25	Bryant Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)
	09:25	Bryant Substitution replaced by Brown
Richardson Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	09:14 [PHX 7-2]
	08:58	Fisher 3pt Shot: Missed
	08:57	Bynum Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	08:49	Bynum Jump Hook Shot: Missed
	08:48	Bynum Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	08:48	Bynum Tip Shot: Missed
	08:48	Gasol Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
Lopez Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	08:48
	08:48 [LAL 3-7]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	08:48 [LAL 4-7]	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Lopez Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bynum (1 BLK)	08:27
	08:25	Gasol Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:25	Gasol Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Lopez (1 ST)
	08:25	Gasol Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Stoudemire Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Nash (1 AST)	08:18 [PHX 9-4]
	08:18	Bynum Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Stoudemire Free Throw 1 of 1 (3 PTS)	08:18 [PHX 10-4]
Lopez Foul : Personal (2 PF)	08:06
Lopez Substitution replaced by Frye	08:06
	08:01	Artest Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hill (1 BLK)
	08:01	Team Rebound
	07:58	Brown 3pt Shot: Missed Block: Hill (2 BLK)
Richardson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:56
Hill Jump Shot: Missed	07:51
Nash Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	07:49
Richardson 3pt Shot: Missed	07:46
	07:44	Bynum Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	07:30 [LAL 6-10]	Gasol Driving Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Fisher (1 AST)
Hill 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Richardson (1 AST)	07:14 [PHX 13-6]
	06:55 [LAL 8-13]	Brown Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Artest (1 AST)
Nash Jump Shot: Missed	06:48
	06:45	Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	06:37	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
Stoudemire Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	06:36
Richardson Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (4 PTS)	06:24 [PHX 15-8]
	05:59	Brown Jump Shot: Missed
Hill Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:58
Hill Jump Shot: Missed	05:35
	05:34	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
Nash Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	05:18
	05:18	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:18	Brown Substitution replaced by Bryant
	05:18 [LAL 9-15]	Fisher Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	05:18 [LAL 10-15]	Fisher Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Stoudemire Slam Dunk Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Hill (1 AST)	05:00 [PHX 17-10]
	04:37	Artest Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Stoudemire (1 ST)
Richardson 3pt Shot: Missed	04:31
Hill Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	04:29
Stoudemire Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bryant (1 BLK)	04:14
	04:11	Bynum Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	03:57	Bynum Hook Shot: Missed
	03:56	Gasol Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
Frye Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:56
	03:56 [LAL 11-17]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
Hill Substitution replaced by Dudley	03:56
	03:56	Bynum Substitution replaced by Odom
	03:56	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Frye Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:54
	03:42	Odom Foul : Defense 3 Second (0 PF)
Nash Free Throw Technical Missed	03:42
Team Rebound	03:42
Nash 3pt Shot: Missed	03:26
	03:25	Team Rebound
	03:10 [LAL 13-17]	Fisher Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Odom (1 AST)
Nash Pullup Jump shot: Made (7 PTS)	02:45 [PHX 19-13]
	02:20	Odom Jump Hook Shot: Missed
	02:20	Team Rebound
Team Timeout : Regular	02:20
	02:20	Artest Substitution replaced by Walton
	02:13 [LAL 16-19]	Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Bryant (1 AST)
Nash 3pt Shot: Missed	01:52
	01:51	Odom Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Frye Foul : Personal (2 PF)	01:42
	01:42 [LAL 17-19]	Fisher Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
Frye Substitution replaced by Amundson	01:42
	01:42 [LAL 18-19]	Fisher Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Stoudemire Layup Shot: Missed	01:26
	01:24	Gasol Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	01:21 [LAL 20-19]	Fisher Driving Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS)
Nash Pullup Jump shot: Made (9 PTS)	01:05 [PHX 21-20]
	00:49.6	Gasol Turnaround Bank shot: Missed
	00:49.6	Team Rebound
	00:46.8	Walton Layup Shot: Missed
	00:46.8	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	00:46.8 [LAL 22-21]	Odom Putback Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Dudley 3pt Shot: Missed	00:31.9
Amundson Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	00:30.7
Stoudemire Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	00:14.1
Stoudemire Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	00:14.1
Nash Substitution replaced by Dragic	00:14.1
Stoudemire Substitution replaced by Collins	00:14.1
	00:14.1	Walton Substitution replaced by Farmar
	00:02.2 [LAL 24-21]	Gasol Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Bryant (2 AST)
Dragic 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.1
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 1st Quarter
Phoenix Suns (54-29)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Amundson Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Odom (1 ST)	11:36
	11:31	Farmar Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	11:31	Farmar Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
	11:14	Odom Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Dragic Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Farmar (1 ST)	11:00
Barbosa Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	10:58
	10:58 [LAL 25-21]	Bryant Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
Collins Substitution replaced by Hill	10:58
	10:58 [LAL 26-21]	Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Dudley Floating Jump shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Barbosa (1 AST)	10:36 [PHX 23-26]
	10:14	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
Hill Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	10:13
Dragic 3pt Shot: Missed	10:05
	10:04	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	09:47 [LAL 28-23]	Bryant Pullup Bank shot: Made (6 PTS)
Hill Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)	09:31 [PHX 25-28]
	09:15	Vujacic 3pt Shot: Missed
Hill Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	09:14
Amundson Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	09:09
Amundson Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	09:09
	08:55 [LAL 30-25]	Vujacic Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Bryant (3 AST)
Hill Jump Shot: Missed Block: Bynum (2 BLK)	08:41
	08:39	Farmar Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:31	Vujacic 3pt Shot: Missed
	08:30	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
Barbosa Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	08:27
	08:27	Timeout : Official
Amundson Substitution replaced by Lopez	08:27
	08:27 [LAL 31-25]	Odom Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	08:27 [LAL 32-25]	Odom Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Lopez Jump Shot: Missed Block: Bynum (3 BLK)	08:06
Lopez Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	08:02
Lopez Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bryant (2 BLK)	08:01
	08:00	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Dragic Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:55
	07:41	Farmar 3pt Shot: Missed
Dudley Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:40
Barbosa Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)	07:33
Gentry Technical	07:33
	07:33	Bryant Free Throw Technical Missed
	07:33	Team Rebound
Dudley Substitution replaced by Stoudemire	07:33
	07:22 [LAL 35-25]	Bryant 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Hill Turnover : Backcourt Turnover (2 TO)	07:02
Dragic Substitution replaced by Nash	07:02
Barbosa Substitution replaced by Richardson	07:02
	07:02	Farmar Substitution replaced by Fisher
	07:02	Vujacic Substitution replaced by Artest
	06:52 [LAL 38-25]	Bryant 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS)
	06:41	Artest Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Nash Jump Shot: Missed	06:29
	06:27	Odom Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	06:19 [LAL 41-25]	Bryant 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:14
Instant Replay - Support Ruling	06:14
Stoudemire Pullup Jump shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Nash (2 AST)	05:59 [PHX 27-41]
	05:34 [LAL 43-27]	Odom Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Fisher (2 AST)
	05:25	Bynum Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Lopez Substitution replaced by Frye	05:25
Stoudemire Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	05:25
Team Rebound	05:25
	05:25	Bynum Substitution replaced by Gasol
Stoudemire Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	05:25 [PHX 28-43]
	05:11 [LAL 45-28]	Odom Jump Hook Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Gasol (1 AST)
Nash Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (11 PTS)	05:02 [PHX 30-45]
	04:37	Fisher Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Richardson (1 ST)
Hill Driving Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Nash (3 AST)	04:31 [PHX 32-45]
	04:31	Artest Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Hill Free Throw 1 of 1 (8 PTS)	04:31 [PHX 33-45]
	04:14	Bryant Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Stoudemire (2 ST)
	04:11	Fisher Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Stoudemire Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	04:11 [PHX 34-45]
Stoudemire Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	04:11
Team Rebound	04:08
Nash Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Artest (1 ST)	04:00
	03:54	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
Richardson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	03:52
Hill Jump Shot: Missed	03:45
Richardson Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	03:43
Richardson Tip Shot: Missed	03:43
Stoudemire Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	03:36
Stoudemire Jump Shot: Missed	03:29
	03:27	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	03:22	Team Timeout : Regular
	03:11 [LAL 47-34]	Odom Jump Hook Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Bryant (4 AST)
Richardson Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS)	02:57 [PHX 36-47]
	02:38	Artest Jump Shot: Missed
	02:35	Odom Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
	02:35 [LAL 49-36]	Odom Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Stoudemire Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Artest (2 ST)	02:30
	02:26	Artest Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Richardson (2 ST)
Stoudemire Driving Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Nash (4 AST)	02:16 [PHX 38-49]
	01:55	Bryant Reverse Layup Shot: Missed
Richardson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	01:53
Nash Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS)	01:37 [PHX 40-49]
	01:16	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	01:16
	01:16	Gasol Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)
Stoudemire Substitution replaced by Amundson	01:16
Richardson Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	01:16 [PHX 41-49]
	01:16	Bryant Substitution replaced by Brown
Richardson Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	01:16
	01:15	Odom Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)
Hill Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	00:57.4
	00:57.4 [LAL 50-41]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
	00:57.4 [LAL 51-41]	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Nash 3pt Shot: Missed	00:45.9
Amundson Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	00:43.9
Richardson 3pt Shot: Missed	00:39.9
	00:38.5	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Richardson Foul : Personal (1 PF)	00:37.4
	00:37.4 [LAL 52-41]	Fisher Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)
	00:37.4 [LAL 53-41]	Fisher Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Nash Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (15 PTS)	00:24.5 [PHX 43-53]
	00:00.7	Brown Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	00:00.7
	00:00.7	Artest Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)
Hill Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	00:00.7 [PHX 44-53]
Frye Substitution replaced by Collins	00:00.7
Hill Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	00:00.7 [PHX 45-53]
	00:00.2	Odom 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 2nd Quarter
Phoenix Suns (54-29)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
Richardson Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bynum (4 BLK)	11:48
	11:45	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	11:40	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
	11:37	Bynum Rebound (Off:4 Def:2)
Stoudemire Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	11:36
	11:36 [LAL 54-45]	Bynum Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	11:36 [LAL 55-45]	Bynum Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Lopez Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	11:19
	11:00	Bynum Layup Shot: Missed
	10:59	Bynum Rebound (Off:4 Def:2)
	10:54	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Stoudemire Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Nash (5 AST)	10:43 [PHX 47-55]
	10:24 [LAL 57-47]	Bryant Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Gasol (2 AST)
Nash Floating Jump shot: Made (17 PTS)	10:14 [PHX 49-57]
	09:55	Artest Layup Shot: Missed Block: Richardson (1 BLK)
	09:52	Gasol Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)
	09:49	Fisher 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	09:49
Nash Jump Shot: Missed	09:34
	09:33	Bryant Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	09:22 [LAL 59-49]	Fisher Driving Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Bryant (5 AST)
	09:07	Bynum Foul : Personal (3 PF)
	08:55	Bynum Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Stoudemire Free Throw 1 of 2 (14 PTS)	08:55 [PHX 50-59]
	08:55	Bynum Substitution replaced by Odom
Stoudemire Free Throw 2 of 2 (15 PTS)	08:55 [PHX 51-59]
	08:46	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
	08:44	Bryant Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)
Hill Foul : Personal (2 PF)	08:40
	08:31	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hill (3 BLK)
	08:31	Team Rebound
	08:25	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
Hill Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	08:24
Stoudemire Turnover : Traveling (3 TO)	08:11
	07:56 [LAL 61-51]	Gasol Slam Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Odom (2 AST)
Lopez Substitution replaced by Frye	07:32
	07:29	Fisher Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Frye 3pt Shot: Missed	07:19
	07:18	Artest Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	07:06 [LAL 63-51]	Gasol Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Bryant (6 AST)
Richardson Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Fisher (1 ST)	06:57
	06:51 [LAL 65-51]	Bryant Slam Dunk Shot: Made (19 PTS) Assist: Artest (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:51
Stoudemire Jump Shot: Missed Block: Artest (1 BLK)	06:31
	06:28	Gasol Rebound (Off:3 Def:3)
	06:20	Odom Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Nash Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Artest (3 ST)	06:14
	06:10 [LAL 67-51]	Artest Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Frye 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Nash (6 AST)	05:54 [PHX 54-67]
	05:32 [LAL 69-54]	Bryant Pullup Jump shot: Made (21 PTS) Assist: Fisher (3 AST)
Richardson Driving Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Nash (7 AST)	05:22 [PHX 56-69]
	05:22	Artest Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Richardson Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	05:22
	05:20	Odom Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)
	04:58 [LAL 71-56]	Fisher Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Gasol (3 AST)
Stoudemire Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (4 TO)	04:44
	04:23	Fisher 3pt Shot: Missed
	04:21	Odom Rebound (Off:3 Def:5)
	04:19 [LAL 73-56]	Gasol Hook Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Odom (3 AST)
Stoudemire Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bryant (3 BLK)	04:02
	04:00	Fisher Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Frye Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	03:44
Hill Substitution replaced by Dudley	03:44
	03:44 [LAL 74-56]	Odom Free Throw 1 of 2 (13 PTS)
	03:44	Odom Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Frye Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	03:44
Nash 3pt Shot: Made (20 PTS)	03:33 [PHX 59-74]
	03:10	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Frye Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	03:08
Frye 3pt Shot: Missed	02:58
	02:56	Team Rebound
	02:56	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:56	Artest Substitution replaced by Walton
	02:36	Walton Jump Shot: Missed
	02:35	Odom Rebound (Off:4 Def:5)
	02:33	Odom Layup Shot: Missed Block: Frye (1 BLK)
Frye Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	02:31
Dudley Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Nash (8 AST)	02:28 [PHX 61-74]
	02:28	Bryant Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Dudley Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	02:28
Dudley Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	02:26
Richardson 3pt Shot: Missed	02:21
	02:19	Bryant Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)
	02:09 [LAL 76-61]	Bryant Jump Shot: Made (23 PTS) Assist: Gasol (4 AST)
Frye Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Nash (9 AST)	01:49 [PHX 63-76]
	01:25	Walton Reverse Layup Shot: Missed
Stoudemire Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	01:23
Dudley 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Nash (10 AST)	01:19 [PHX 66-76]
	01:19	Gasol Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Richardson Substitution replaced by Barbosa	01:19
	01:19	Walton Substitution replaced by Brown
Dudley Free Throw 1 of 1 (8 PTS)	01:19 [PHX 67-76]
	01:04	Fisher Jump Shot: Missed
	01:03	Odom Rebound (Off:5 Def:5)
	01:02	Odom Layup Shot: Missed Block: Stoudemire (3 BLK)
	01:00	Bryant Rebound (Off:3 Def:6)
	00:52.9	Fisher Layup Shot: Missed
Barbosa Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:51.9
	00:47.2	Brown Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Barbosa Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	00:47.2 [PHX 68-76]
	00:47.2	Fisher Substitution replaced by Farmar
Nash Substitution replaced by Dragic	00:47.2
Barbosa Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	00:47.2 [PHX 69-76]
	00:31.4 [LAL 78-69]	Gasol Dunk Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Farmar (1 AST)
Frye 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Dragic (1 AST)	00:19.4 [PHX 72-78]
	00:02.3	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Dragic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:00.6
End of 3rd Quarter
Phoenix Suns (54-29)		Los Angeles Lakers (58-25)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:42 [LAL 80-72]	Odom Driving Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Farmar (2 AST)
Frye 3pt Shot: Missed	11:29
	11:28	Odom Rebound (Off:5 Def:6)
	11:10 [LAL 83-72]	Bryant 3pt Shot: Made (26 PTS) Assist: Gasol (5 AST)
Dragic Jump Shot: Missed	10:56
	10:55	Farmar Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Dragic Foul : Personal (2 PF)	10:52
	10:39	Gasol Layup Shot: Missed
Frye Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	10:38
Dudley Jump Bank Shot: Missed	10:29
	10:26	Gasol Rebound (Off:3 Def:4)
Dragic Foul : Personal (3 PF)	10:10
	09:55	Odom Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Frye (1 ST)
Barbosa 3pt Shot: Missed	09:46
Frye Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	09:45
Frye Putback Layup Shot: Missed Block: Gasol (1 BLK)	09:44
Frye Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	09:43
	09:43	Gasol Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
	09:43	Double Technical - Vujacic, Dragic
Frye Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	09:43 [PHX 73-83]
	09:43	Gasol Substitution replaced by Bynum
Frye Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	09:43 [PHX 74-83]
	09:29	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
Barbosa Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:27
	09:25	Bryant Technical
Barbosa Free Throw Technical Missed	09:25
Team Rebound	09:25
Amundson Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Frye (1 AST)	09:19 [PHX 76-83]
Dragic Foul : Personal (4 PF)	09:04
	08:55	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
	08:54	Bynum Rebound (Off:5 Def:2)
	08:54	Bynum Tip Shot: Missed
Dragic Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:51
	08:48	Bynum Foul : Shooting (5 PF)
Timeout : Official	08:48
	08:48	Bynum Substitution replaced by Gasol
Frye Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)	08:48 [PHX 77-83]
Frye Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	08:48
	08:46	Bryant Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)
	08:22	Farmar Layup Shot: Missed
Frye Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	08:21
Dragic Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Farmar (2 ST)	08:15
	08:09 [LAL 86-77]	Vujacic 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Farmar (3 AST)
Dragic 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)	07:52 [PHX 80-86]
Barbosa Foul : Personal (3 PF)	07:31
	07:20 [LAL 88-80]	Bryant Jump Shot: Made (28 PTS) Assist: Farmar (4 AST)
Frye 3pt Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Barbosa (2 AST)	07:01 [PHX 83-88]
	06:39	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Dudley Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	06:37
Dragic Jump Shot: Missed Block: Bryant (4 BLK)	06:24
	06:23	Bryant Rebound (Off:3 Def:8)
	06:17 [LAL 90-83]	Gasol Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS) Assist: Bryant (7 AST)
Barbosa Jump Shot: Missed	05:53
	05:52	Odom Rebound (Off:5 Def:7)
	05:29	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
Amundson Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	05:27
	05:22	Farmar Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
	05:22	Team Timeout : Regular
Amundson Substitution replaced by Stoudemire	05:22
Dragic Substitution replaced by Nash	05:22
	05:22	Farmar Substitution replaced by Fisher
	05:22	Vujacic Substitution replaced by Artest
Dudley Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	05:22 [PHX 84-90]
Dudley Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	05:22 [PHX 85-90]
	05:02 [LAL 93-85]	Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Bryant (8 AST)
Stoudemire Dunk Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Dudley (1 AST)	04:51 [PHX 87-93]
	04:27	Gasol Jump Shot: Missed
Dudley Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	04:26
Nash Jump Shot: Made (22 PTS)	04:13 [PHX 89-93]
	03:42 [LAL 95-89]	Bryant Jump Shot: Made (30 PTS) Assist: Fisher (4 AST)
Nash Driving Layup Shot: Made (24 PTS)	03:33 [PHX 91-95]
	03:33	Fisher Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Barbosa Substitution replaced by Richardson	03:33
Dudley Substitution replaced by Hill	03:33
Nash Free Throw 1 of 1 (25 PTS)	03:33 [PHX 92-95]
	03:18	Bryant Jump Shot: Missed
Stoudemire Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	03:17
Stoudemire Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS) Assist: Nash (11 AST)	02:52 [PHX 94-95]
	02:35 [LAL 97-94]	Fisher Jump Shot: Made (22 PTS) Assist: Odom (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:28
Frye 3pt Shot: Missed	02:21
	02:20	Gasol Rebound (Off:3 Def:5)
Stoudemire Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	02:05
	02:05 [LAL 98-94]	Gasol Free Throw 1 of 2 (20 PTS)
	02:05 [LAL 99-94]	Gasol Free Throw 2 of 2 (21 PTS)
Nash Jump Shot: Made (27 PTS)	01:53 [PHX 96-99]
	01:38 [LAL 101-96]	Odom Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Bryant (9 AST)
Nash Jump Shot: Made (29 PTS)	01:21 [PHX 98-101]
	01:02	Artest Jump Shot: Missed
	01:01	Gasol Rebound (Off:4 Def:5)
	00:56.9	Artest 3pt Shot: Missed
Frye Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	00:55.8
Team Timeout : Short	00:51.5
Frye 3pt Shot: Missed	00:40.9
	00:39.8	Odom Rebound (Off:5 Def:8)
	00:20.9	Gasol Dunk Shot: Missed
Richardson Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	00:17.9
Nash 3pt Shot: Missed	00:11.9
Nash Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	00:10.4
Richardson 3pt Shot: Missed	00:05.9
Frye Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)	00:03.9
Richardson 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Frye (2 AST)	00:03.5 [PHX 101-101]
	00:03.5	Team Timeout : Short
	00:02.5	Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:00.9	Artest Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
	00:00.8 [LAL 103-101]	Artest Putback Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Instant Replay - Support Ruling	00:00.0
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			TNT	National	9:00 pm ET
canada			TSN	national	9:00 pm ET